


My favourite animal

by Yaelsf



Category: Social Network (2010) RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-26 02:25:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/645513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yaelsf/pseuds/Yaelsf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When jesse, a talented if lazy writer, can no longer take care of his cats he must put them in a shelter. There he meet Andrew, the nicest person he ever met, who dresses funny and talks animal languages and volunteers in the shelter to help his parrot overcome her fear of cats.</p><p> </p><p> Will the two socially isolated guys find a way to be together? will the bird get over her phobia? And what is Andrew Garfield favourite animal?</p>
            </blockquote>





	My favourite animal

**Author's Note:**

> Don't mean to hurt anyone's feeling about cats. All hints for treating cats or other animals in a bad way are just for the story and are don't reflect my opinion.
> 
> THERE IS ABSULOUTLY NO CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PEOPLE IN THIS FANFICTION AND THE ACTUAL JESSE EISENBERG AND ANDREW GARFIELD. (well, besides their names and perfection). this is true for every other character.
> 
> inspired by every fic Iv'e ever read in the fandom, specifically The Giraffe Notes and Can't Hug Every Cat.
> 
> Clearly unbetad. Sorry for any Hibrish mistakes or any other formulation and language problems. I would change anything you tell me is wrong.

When Jesse brings the ninth cat home, Emma and Joe start to worry.

When he comes home some Monday with a ginger kitten in his hands, the light in the living room is off. He turns it on fast (just to make sure everything is in its right place and there's no monster or anything like that instead) and finds Joe and Emma standing under a sign that says "Meowtervention".

Two years ago, Joe's and Jesse's flat was suitable for human residence, and Emma- Joe's girlfriend- took advantage of this fact and stayed there a lot. As Jesse went adopting more and more cats, their place became a jungle where Jesse is either King of cats or their slave, depends on the time of day.

"This is an intervention." Emma starts, and then each of them reads a letter (Joe's letter contains no jokes, which means this is an enormously series matter) that explains to Jesse exactly what his life will become if he'll keep it in the hands of his cats. Where he would be mentally and physically and the things he will miss.

Jesse listens, his head down and eyes wet. He tells himself (and his cats, because he always talks to himself aloud) every day that he prefers the company of cats over people, but it never has been tested. Somehow he always had people that cared about him, even if a little. But if those two people who are his closest and only friends (Joe was his friend since ever, while Emma took her time to see the nice, intelligent person behind the awkward nerd) ask him to do something, he has got to listen.

They get up the next morning and bring all the cats (in veterinary cages and all) to a cat rescue shelter. They explain there's no one to take care of the cats (they might think they've convinced Jesse he doesn’t want to become crazy cat lady, but he still considers it as an option) but told the shelter can only accept some. So they leave there four cats and one kitten and drive to the shelter in the other end of the neighbourhood with one crying Jesse. They agree on Jesse keeping Dusty for she's the oldest and lived in the flat for years, but that only if Jesse would not adopt any new cats. "Maybe after Dusty's…" Joe starts, but Emma shushes him right before Jesse, his eyes opened wide, would resume his crying.

They leave the four other cats in the second shelter. Jesse says goodbye to each but can’t leave the place himself. Joe promises to come back and take him in an hour ("Give him time, he'll get over it. I… think so." He tells Emma.) Jesse sits on a bench, his face red, caressing Dusty's gray fur over and over. A few minutes later a girl in a orange shirt with the writing: "The Home for Homeless Cats" and black paws drawn on it sits besides him. Jesse tells her why they brought the cats and then asks her why many things: What happens to the cats? How long they'd stay before someone adopts them? Do you take care of their health? Their company? When can I come visit?

The girl, Carey, answers it all calmly. Jesse relaxes and finally starting to see what Joe and Emma wanted. He also accepts Carey's invitation to come and volunteer in the shelter, for there are cats to feed and play with and guilty feelings to feel.  
A week later Jesse puts on an orange shirt, that doesn't fit him and took him a half hour to find in the closet, and go back to the shelter. (He wanted to come sooner, but he dreamt that the cats yelled at him and wanted to scratch him. In real life he could never make them talk, so the thought of them yelling in unbroken English made him want to go see the cats now, but they did yell and yelling always made him scared. And only on Tuesday he felt strong enough to come and volunteer.)

He comes just in time for lunch (he managed to do so many work this morning with no cats to distract him, it’s amazing! But, like, the cats were here all that time. With other (less aristocratic) cats, with different volunteers everyday, and little girls that comes to adopt a cat and takes only the youngest and….) "Move already!" A high toned voice addresses him.

Jesse stands in the middle of a hallway, with the tin can he got from Carey that contained cat food opened. He moves so his back to the wall, letting a… guy, who wares the same shirt as Carey, only in gray, to pass him. "I told you not to address strangers that way, Polynesia, it isn't nice!"

-"Sorry. Sorr-hi. Hi hi hi"

Confused from the different voices he hears, Jesse lifts his head up (a good call anyway, because that cat food smells and his nose needed a break). It turns out the high toned voice came from an impatient African gray parrot that sat on the shoulder of the guy (from whom came the lower, British accented and somewhat amused voice) that now looked straightly at Jesse.  
"You're new here!" The guy (with his warm, brown eyes) points the obvious. Jesse isn't used to talk to strangers (or, people) but it happens in this shelter quite often and he starts to think it's the Home for Homeless Jesses .

–"I brought some cats here last week. See, I wanted to keep them but my friends won't let me becoss my roommate can't share a room with ten cats …"

-"Ten cats? Poly here won't even live with one. That’s why were here."

-"It’s not going to work." The parrot declares. Then she assumingly recalls she doesn’t know Jesse, and, shyly puts her head under her wing. Jesse understands her well, but he has no place to go hide, so he keeps talking to the guy. (the conversation is actually interesting, and Jesse is mainly asked to listen). When they're done feeding all the cats and get to the end of the hallway, the guy have already told Jesse so much about himself.

His name is Andrew, he's 24. He talks a lot and fast and passionately, so Jesse doesn’t get it all. He remembers this: Andrew has always wanted to perform in a circus with animals, then he found out there's animal cruelty there, and decided to take care of animals instead. So he decided to learn animals' languages. His Jacko- Poly- which he adopt when she was born-five years ago-taught him to speak to Giraffes -the challenge is to make sure they hear you, cause their ears are so up high- and currently he works with giraffes at the zoo. He began volunteering in this shelter two months ago, after poly's vet recommended it as a way for her to get over her feline-o-phobia. Andrew says you can understand her fear; after all she's a bird. Jesse thinks he could never understand someone who hates cats, and forgets to listen to the next few sentences.

They put the food cans back in place and go to the restroom to wash hands. Andrew asks Jesse questions and he answers them all automatically. He's 24, too, he's lived in New York forever and he wants to be a playwright. Well, he is a playwright, he just needs someone to acknowledge it – decide his plays were good enough and for some unknown reason think they should be played. Andrew says he'd love to read one (whichever Jesse think is the best) and Jesse feels good because it sounded like he meant it.

Jesse says he has to go and gives Andrew his washed hand to shake. Andrew doesn’t leave it too fast. Poly lifts her wing and looks at Jesse. He asks Andrew how to say goodbye to her and Andrew tells him just to talk normally. So he says "pleased to meet you" and it actually was a pleasure, and he plans to come back next week for his three cats (Obama was already adopted, for he's a beautiful white cat) but also for Andrew.

He comes back the next week at the same hour. (He might have written three chapters in a new book in which the main character is named Drew and he rides elephants. He's still not sure about it). He finishes the feeding-playing tour and spends extra time with his former cats (all three are still there) and doesn't find Andrew anywhere.

Somewhat embarrassed, he asks Carey if she knows where he is. She tells him how excited she is that they've met, because she feels Andrew needs the company of people, not just animals. Then she starts to praise how suitable Andrew and Jesse are for each other and how if they hadn’t met on their own she should have thought about it herself. And Jesse didn't even think of Andrew that way, but now that she's talking, maybe that explains why the image of Andrew's ridiculous hair hasn't left his mind all week.

Only when she's done going on about how happy she is for them (okay, but nothing has happened yet) she remembers Jesse asked if she knows where Andrew is and might want to contact him somehow. She does know; one of the giraffes is supposed to calve today- isn't that exciting?!- so he's probably still at the zoo with her. She also has Andrew's phone number to give Jesse.  
Jesse thanks her and goes home. He spends the evening staring at his stupid phone (becoss it isn't a smart-phone, it only knows four numbers, it always rings at the wrong time, and Jesse has the right to hate electronic devices and call them stupid.) and asking Dusty if he should call. She doesn’t answer and Jesse tries to figure out if when Andrew talked about speaking with animals he meant they actually talked back and how is that even possible, or that he just talks to the air like Jesse does, and from time to time accidently gets a reaction in proper timing.

He decides not to call tonight, because Andrew is probably tired after helping a giraffe calve today. Then he decides to call tonight, because Andrew probably wants to tell someone how it was to help a giraffe calve, and Carey said he doesn’t have many human friends (how and why? Andrew seemed like the nicest person in the world).  
"Hello?" Andrew picks up the phone after a ring or two.

-"Hi. It's, umm, Jesse- from-"

-"Jess! Er, Jesse! From the shelter. last week! Oh, sorry I wasn’t there today. Did you want to see me? It's just that there was a-"

-"yeah a Giraffe at the zoo that needed help. I know. How did that go? "(They both talk fast and cut each other's sentences and Jesse doesn’t know why and he can't control it, it's just how the conversation goes.)

"It went well. The feeling was so good. Stella have told me long ago how much she wanted to be a mother, and she bravely stood through a 14 months pregnancy, and she's going to be the best mom, all that's left now is to find a name for the calf- something that starts with S."

-"What about Savanna?" Jesse suggests, and from here the conversation goes easier and less nerving. When Jesse looks at the phone as the call ends, right before he closes his eyes to picture next Tuesday, he's surprised to find out they've talked for fifty minutes. On the one hand it felt like a second, and they could go on with the conversation if Andrew hadn't wanted to go to sleep. But on the other hand it was like they've talked for a year, because he knows Andrew so well now.

All Tuesday morning Jesse practices asking Andrew out tonight in front of the mirror and the cat. He takes her shorter Meows, the ones he usually understands as "thanks for the food, going to bed now", as "that's the one. Go for it" and the long ones as "You suck and he'd never go out with you.". When she starts to sound only long meows he gives up and turns to his computer. He almost deletes all ten chapters about Drew the Elephant rider because it would be awkward if Andrew finds this story (boldly assuming he would go out with Jesse and then for some reason come to his place. It's empty most of the time, which is weird, because the cats aren’t there anymore so he'd expect Joe to be there more), but then remembers he can just change the names and adjectives. Now the story is about a girl named Cara. (Jesse was never original with giving names; Savanna was a one time success.)

Jesse wares an off blue shirt, because his mother says blue looks good on him (it suites his eyes or something like that, Jesse doesn’t care much for colours, he just knows never to wear orange again) and also because it was the shirt he wore the day Emma stopped thinking of him as a freak and started to like him.

Andrew is a little late, and Jesse would have felt all the self doubt feelings in the world if he hadn’t concentrated in all the guilty feelings for all these cats that live in a shelter and the three he put there himself.

Andrew comes, wearing a red suit (that would look ridiculous on any other human but fits him so well- making him seem even taller and thinner then he is) and- and Jesse notices because Andrew told him over the phone how important she is to him and that he goes everywhere with her- without the parrot. Jesse asks where she is and can't hold himself from asking about the suit.  
Andrew said that on Saturday Poly had a small incident with one of the cats (a fat black and white one she calls "Cow-cat") and it worsen her phobia, so he left her with Carey and told her to fly to him whenever she feels ready. (She understands she should want to like cats, but hates every second in the shelter.)

Then he proudly announces he had an interview today and he's now assistant manager in the herbivorous department (the head of the department must be a veterinarian). Now he's in charge of the petting zoo of goats and sheep, the horse therapy (all the socially challenged kids come to ride. Jesse thinks his mother should have heard of that program when it was relevant to him, and that it sounds good.) and of course- taking care of the giraffes.

Jesse congratulates him, and before he can suggest they should go out to celebrate or just start today's run at the shelter, Andrew says "There is another reason I left Poly there."

\- "What?" he asks.

-" I wanted to be alone with you."

-" Hmm. And... would you like to be alone with me again tonight? But, not in here?" Jesse asks and his brain Meows so long and loud he can't here the answer.

"Jess?" Andrew's voice brings him to turn his head and see he's standing at the exit. "We still have cats to feed, but later I would love to go out with you!"

-"Good." That was the answer he hoped to hear when he asked that question. Now he has no idea how to deal with it.  
Today Andrew does most of the talking, too, and he's apparently aware of that, because at one point he points that Jesse is a little floating, and it's new to Andrew to be the one with two legs on the ground, but it's actually a good feeling because he likes taking care of people just like animals.

Jesse tries to say something, but he's too busy feeling terrified- how will the evening go? He hasn’t been on a date since….when he realizes it's since he adopted Masty, the second cat, almost two years ago, he understands a little better why Emma and Joe told him to give up the cats. No, that's a lie. But he expects it from himself to understand.  
The point is, Jesse has no idea how dates go, and a date with Andrew- Andrew would talk and talk just like he does now, and will be the interesting, fresh one. How is Jesse supposed to act? And what did Andrew mean when he said he wanted to "take care of him"?

They're done with the run and stands facing each other, next to the exit door. Dividing his concentration between staring at Andrew's long (everything about this man, it seems, is long) lips and listening to him, Jesse manages to catch the important details of the time and the place for their meeting, and then he feels (just feels? When did he ever close his eyes?) Andrew's lips(which apparently can be described as warm, too) on his chick. He opens his eyes to see Andrew grinning and saying goodbye. Jesse pants and sees Carey shaking her head, standing at her position. "Have fun tonight!" she wishes him, and Jesse murmurs a thank you and hurries out of there.

He runs to the bus and then home and doesn't relax until Joe (who, in perfect timing chose to stay at home) is managed to make him talk, after two glasses of water (one of which had weird taste, he should ask Joe about it later.) "You remember the guy I told you about, from the shelter, the one that looks like he came from a circus in the 30'S? So I have a date with him. Tonight. What do I ware? How do I talk? How do I not tell him the only animal I like is cats and I can’t even raise these? How do I keep living if he prefers dogs?"

Joe starts, like always, in "Shut up and let me think." Then easily solves every problem Jesse had: "You really should ware blue, but like a buttoned shirt. If he is from the 30'S he probably reads books and doesn’t listen to pop music, s you have much in common and you don’t need to worry about conversation. Now, when you talk, try to turn your awkwardness into sarcasm" (It usually works, he just needs to feel comfortable with the other man. And he likes the idea of making Andrew laugh; he'd like to hear it, so he takes that advice.) "And he probably likes dogs. But it's a good thing- those who prefer cats are usually crazy. No offence."

Jesse leaves the house (after Joe had to put his phone and wallet in his hands for he left them on the kitchen table.) and prepares for an interesting evening. Andrew is waiting outside the restaurant, wearing the same red suit, and the Jacko flying in front of him. Jesse thinks he sees him shushing her, putting one finger on his lips and pointing at Jesse with another. His date's best friend is a bird, and he worries HE will bore him?

They sit at the restaurant and talk, when Poly is sitting with her back to Jesse and only comment little comments from time to time, and Andrew is charming. He talks about the Baby-Giraffe's first days and how much she cries. Jesse says he cries all the time himself (use-awkwardness-for-sarcasm) and Andrew laughs. Then he talks about Lion King and how the Savanna in Africa looks in real life, and Jesse says he's never been abroad cause he's afraid to fly and Andrew laughs again (and also Poly, but then Jesse reminds her she's afraid of cats and she stops.) but he promises to help Jesse overcome his fear and take him home to London someday. And Jesse feels weird because they're on their first date and Andrew is saying words like "Home" and "Someday" – he's so serious about their relationship, but then again he laughs all the time. And Jesse gets it that he doesn’t laugh at Jesse but just laugh because he's having fun. And at the end Jesse can't stop smiling because Andrew laughs with his whole body and he is beautiful.

When the desserts menu comes Andrew asks him what he thinks of Lemons. Jesse asks what Andrew thinks of dogs. He's not convinced in Joe's theory, and still worries Andrew prefers them over cats. But when Andrew confirms it, it turns to be alright. Everything Andrew says is alright; always served to Jesse in a calm, amused tone. Andrew says he likes dogs and- "don't take it personally, but you remind me of a dog I once had." Jesse guesses it was a Golden Retriever, decides Joe's theory isn't true cause here is a crazy guy who prefers dogs, and then remembers to answer the questions: Lemons are fine but he prefers chocolate.  
They end up ordering the lemon pie anyway, because Andrew worries there might be nuts in the chocolate one and he's allergic. Jesse says he should have just said, and that he'd be honored to share a lemon pie with him. Andrew specially asks for cream on the pie so it would be sweeter for Jesse and Jesse doesn’t understand how just two weeks ago he was stuck at home with ten cats that stopped him from eating I working like a normal person, and now he's here on a date with the most interesting, spry (and beautiful, and charming) he ever met and feels so free.

Over pieces of the pie, Jesse asks Andrew what animals it's most important to him to raise at home. Andrew says it's not hamsters or other rodent because he had bad experiences with them, and he'd wish it was giraffes, if it was only legal to raise them privately. Cats and dogs are most important to him, but if he'd live in a farm like he dreams- he'd like to have horses. Polynesia almost picks his shoulder off in a panic attack, before he says "and of course Poly would live with me wherever I live."  
Jesse gets her.

When Andrew asks what about him, Jesse says he just needs books to make it home. Andrew promises they'll have books, and it's not a slip of the tongue like it might seem, and they both feel it. Poly must feel it too, because she starts mimicking a kissing sound. Andrew bends to whisper in Jesse's ear "Is she right?" Jesse answers she is, and he'd never thought a smart parrot could cause so much embarrassment. He whispers back to Andrew that it's important they'd get another parrot so next time they could leave her at home with it.

Andrew smiles and starts kissing him, but they can't continue because Poly keeps making noises and they're in the middle of the kiss at the middle of a restaurant and it's all ruined. Andrew closes his palm on her beak and gives her a stern look, then let's go and turns to Jesse quietly: "at home?"

Jesse nods. He doesn't even know where Andrew lives, but he'd go with him everywhere because he is amazing and unique and he wants Jesse there. They split the bill and walk by foot to Andrew's flat. It's cold and only Andrew has gloves on, but they're holding hands so Jesse's whole body feels warm.

They arrive at the flat and Andrew can't find his keys while Poly won't stop saying "Knock knock! Who's there?" and looking at  
him, her head tilted, as if asking "why aren't you opening the door?" Jesse waits they'd get in and she'd go to sleep, because she starts to really freak him out, then Andrew finally remembers the leys aren't in his wallet but his pocket and they get in.  
They go to Poly's room, (it turns out Zoo workers make enough money to rent their own place and save a room for their pet, unlike unemployed playwrights.) which is full of toys and cages and a closet with bird food and the wall has a poster of jungle.  
Andrew puts her in the biggest cage and wishes her a good night.

Then he asks "Should we continue this on the living room or… the bedroom?" and Jesse chooses the living room. It's not that he really want to wait, just that he needs to relax and get used to the silence once the bird is gone again. They sit on the red sofa ("Try going shopping with a bird yourself. You too will end up with red furniture." Andrew explains) and just smile. "I had a really great time today, Jesse." And Jesse once again calms because of the combination o Andrew's trembling lips and his accent, and he's ready for the kiss Andrew gives him, and all those that would follow it.

\------------------------------------------------  
"You," Andrew tells him one night after Jesse has moved in with him (Emma could finally move in with Joe, so only Poly and Dusty liked the arrangement a little less) "Are my favourite animal.".


End file.
